For those brave souls who buy a house that is deteriorating, they will need to have the dwelling restored. The building techniques used back in the day were very different from what builders are doing today. In order to succeed in a period-accurate restoration, they need to find professional log home restoration contractors who specialize in identifying and replicating the old style.
Many of these old houses have suffered extensive damage due to seasonal water intrusion or dry rot from the hot days under the sun. Sometimes they are filled with holes made by carpenter bees, and the logs must be filled in order to prevent further damage. In order to check for soft or rotting wood, one must penetrate the logs with an ice pick to feel for softness.
There is an epoxy available to restore logs which have become soft over the years. Since internal rot can cause logs to weaken, this state can cause them to be unable to bear the weight of a house. By filling these areas of rot with this epoxy, original wood is preserved but also restores the strength, and should be able to hold the house up.
If the structure is a century or more old, then keeping to the same materials and building techniques becomes even more important. The owner has a certain responsibility to keeping the structure as it was, as it becomes a living antique they are preserving. If their home utilized oak logs, then the contractor will want to find exactly the same kind of wood to use.
For the owners who wish to keep the house period-correct, knowing where the original builders were from can help solve the early riddles. Many houses that are a century old, or older, were created by European immigrants. People from different parts of the world had their own building styles, and knowing what style the original house followed can help create a blue-print for the contractor.
One excellent way to determine who or when a house was originally built is by determining the corner notching technique used. This notching gave the house stability and rigidity to the walls, and different groups had their own ways of approaching it. A great deal can be learned about the builders as well as the age of the house by establishing the way the corners were put together.
A century ago people used whatever materials were around to chink and daub the outer walls of their homes. Unfortunately, it may be impossible to find an example of this on the structure itself since that would have been the first thing to deteriorate. Simply knowing if there is lime available, or if they may have been known to use mud and animal droppings can help.
For the owner who really gets into discovering the dynamic history of their house and the property that surrounds it, they might want to visit a local historical society or join an Internet group that specializes in historical records for the area. If they are really lucky, they might even be able to find a photograph of their original structure, or some hand-drawn pictures and blue prints.
Many of these old houses have suffered extensive damage due to seasonal water intrusion or dry rot from the hot days under the sun. Sometimes they are filled with holes made by carpenter bees, and the logs must be filled in order to prevent further damage. In order to check for soft or rotting wood, one must penetrate the logs with an ice pick to feel for softness.
There is an epoxy available to restore logs which have become soft over the years. Since internal rot can cause logs to weaken, this state can cause them to be unable to bear the weight of a house. By filling these areas of rot with this epoxy, original wood is preserved but also restores the strength, and should be able to hold the house up.
If the structure is a century or more old, then keeping to the same materials and building techniques becomes even more important. The owner has a certain responsibility to keeping the structure as it was, as it becomes a living antique they are preserving. If their home utilized oak logs, then the contractor will want to find exactly the same kind of wood to use.
For the owners who wish to keep the house period-correct, knowing where the original builders were from can help solve the early riddles. Many houses that are a century old, or older, were created by European immigrants. People from different parts of the world had their own building styles, and knowing what style the original house followed can help create a blue-print for the contractor.
One excellent way to determine who or when a house was originally built is by determining the corner notching technique used. This notching gave the house stability and rigidity to the walls, and different groups had their own ways of approaching it. A great deal can be learned about the builders as well as the age of the house by establishing the way the corners were put together.
A century ago people used whatever materials were around to chink and daub the outer walls of their homes. Unfortunately, it may be impossible to find an example of this on the structure itself since that would have been the first thing to deteriorate. Simply knowing if there is lime available, or if they may have been known to use mud and animal droppings can help.
For the owner who really gets into discovering the dynamic history of their house and the property that surrounds it, they might want to visit a local historical society or join an Internet group that specializes in historical records for the area. If they are really lucky, they might even be able to find a photograph of their original structure, or some hand-drawn pictures and blue prints.
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You can get valuable tips for choosing log home restoration contractors and more information about a reputable contractor at http://www.loghomecare.com/restoration now.
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